Octopus Diet

At the ends of the arms of Octopus are suction cups. They contain sensors that allow them to taste their food. These animals are very particular about the overall taste of their food. They will pass up a meal that is readily available if they don’t care for the way it tastes. This will occur even if they are very desperate for food in order to survive.

What do octopus eat?

They mainly consume mollusks and crustaceans. They are also known to eat various types of fish and snails.
Sometimes they will also feed upon smaller species of Octopus that are around them when they can’t find enough other food sources for survival.
They have a very strong and powerful beak on their mouths that they use to get prey and to rip them apart. They will swallow chunks of food whole.

Many of the types of foods that the Octopus consume have shells on them. They are able to get their food source out of the shells before they eat them.
When they aren’t able to, they release a type of toxin from the body that will quickly dissolve the tissues that connect it to the shell.

This type of behavior is one that they make seem very easy. Yet researchers find it to be very complex in nature.

Somehow these creatures know if they need to use the toxins and how much. With some prey, they will create two holes and put the toxin into each of them. With others, they only drill one hole. It is believed that they have some instinctive connection for what they should do to benefit from the meal in front of them.

Most of the time Octopus will feed during the night time. They are able to see well in the dark, murky waters which gives them the advantage over their prey. They will hunt during the day though when they are very hungry and an opportunity presents itself. They are amazing predators. Since they can blend in so well to their surroundings they are able to get close to prey without being recognized.

The use of the suction cups on the arms is another way that they are able to capture their prey. There is a sticky type of residue here among the webbing that makes it virtually impossible for the prey to getaway. The foods that they do consume go through the esophagus and then directly up into the brain area. Then they are carried back down the body into the digestive system.

Octopus Feeding Method?

When Octopus bite their prey, they inject a powerful venom into it. This usually won’t kill the prey but it is enough to immobilize it. That way the prey isn’t thrashing around and fighting back as they are trying to consume it.

Most living creatures tend to eat more before they lay eggs or give birth. For the female Octopus though they don’t eat for about a month before they young are born. They spend all of their time trying to defend the eggs from predators, keeping them clean, and at the right temperature. By the time the young are born they are close to death themselves.

They don’t care for their young when they hatch or teach them to hunt. Instead, the young offspring go to the surface of the water where they will hunt for plankton. As they get bigger and older they will move towards the bottom of the ocean where they will consume the other types of foods mentioned here. Hunting for prey is very instinctive for them though from the moment they come out of the egg.

Please help us share knowledge about Octopuses.

Octopus Habitat and Distribution

The Octopus of different species lives in every ocean of the world. They only live in saltwater. They are very adaptable and live in everything from small swallow pool to depth up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
The most common area of the ocean for them to reside happens to be along the coral reefs and ocean floor. They create dens where they live and can be undetected in the water. They will also find small crevices and hide under rocks.

If you are in the water looking for Octopus you have to know where to look and what to pay attention to. They are able to blend into their surroundings so well that even a well-trained eye may overlook one of them if they aren’t’ careful. Even when researchers do find where Octopus live it is only for a small period of time.

They Don’t Get Too Comfortable In Any One Place

They tend to find a new location every 10 to 14 days. Some of them even live in bottles or other rubbish that has found its way to the bottom of the floor in the ocean. They are very opportunistic when it comes to finding a place for them to call home for a period of time.

They are able to live in different temperatures of water. What is very interesting is that the species living in warmer bodies of water are much smaller than those that reside where it is colder. The fact that they can be so adaptable to different areas of the water is one of the reasons that the various species have been able to survive for millions of years.

It is a common belief that all Octopus live at the bottom of the ocean. While the majority of the species do, some of them also live very close to the surface. With most species, the young offspring do live at the surface of the water when they first emerge from their shells. This makes them very vulnerable to the different predators out there. As they get older they will move further down in the water.

Big Octopus in their natural habitat

There aren’t many areas of the ocean where various types of Octopus don’t reside though. Finding them can be exciting for researchers. Snorkeling is a common adventure for vacationers around the oceans. If you do take part in it try to find squid in the various areas. You will be very amazed seeing them in their natural habitat.

Octopuses Are Very Sensitive To Toxin

Due to pollution, the natural habitat of the Octopus continues to be put at risk. They can’t live well in areas where there are lots of toxins. They have a hard time finding enough food in those locations. It can also be unsafe for the females to lay their eggs in such a region. Sometimes the efforts of humans result in the Octopus having to relocate if they are going to be able to survive.

These animals don’t do very well in captivity at all. They already have a very short life span. Being in captivity can create nervous system problems for them as well as so much stress they won’t eat. Some people do try to keep them as pets in aquariums but it very seldom works for very long. They can also take the lids off and escape, which can occur even when a great design is in place. They are well known for their ability to escape.

Even though researchers know lots about the natural habitat of the Octopus and do their best to recreate it for a great setting, being able to observe them in a captive state is extremely difficult. The new setting alters their behaviors too much for them to be credible.